Improved seatjfor street-cars



CHARLES H. FOSTER. OF4 SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

Letters Patent No. 87,335, dated M11/rch 2, 1869.

IIMIPIROVEDl SEATFOR STREET-CARS.

How-

To all 'whom fit ma/y concern: i y Be it knownv that I, CHARLES H.FosTE`R, of the city and county of San Francisco, State of California,

`have invented an Improved Folding Seat; and I do herebydeolare the following description and accompanying drawings are suficient'to enable any person skilled in the art or science to which it most nearly appcrtains, to make'and use my said invention or improvements, without further invention or experiment. The nature of my invention consists in pivoting or hinging upon the front edge of the ordinary fixed seats or settees, extending along the sides of passenger-cars, movable seats, arranged to fold back over the xed seats, and provided with a leg or support, which forms an arm to divide the fixed seat, when the movable seats are folded back.

To more fully illustrate and explain my invention,

. reference is had to the accompanying drawings, forming' a part of this specification, of which- Fignre 1 is an end sectional elevation.

Figure 2 is a fron-t View.

Figure 3 is a plan.

Similar letters, 'in each of the gures, indicate like parts. 4

A is a settee, such as is used in street-cars, railroads, Steamboats, hotels',- and oth'r places where it is necessary to seat a number of persons in as small a space as possible. This seat, especially in street-cars and like crowded vehicles, is frequently inadequate to accommodate even a respectable number of passengers.

To remedythis inadequacy, and give more comfort to the passengers, I attach to the front of the settee, at intervals along its length, supplementary seats, B B,

which are hinged to the'front of the seat, as shown in fig. 1', and have the curved Suppsrting-leg S. g

When b ut few persons are to be seated, the seats B B are folded back upon the settee, the leg S serving as an arm or partition between the seats; but when a greater number of persons is to be accommodated than can be seated upon the sett-ee, the seats B are turned so that the leg S will rest upon the tloor in front, bringing the seat B is a situation toV be occupied. The shape of the seat is not material, sovthat it be made to interfere as little as possible with the regulary settee-seats.

By this means I double the capacity of the ordinary `seats used in cars, steamboats, hotels, and other `places where it is necessary to seat a number of persons, besides rendering the seats more comfortable, as each person will have a certain space to occupy, and no more, without being crowded.

Having thus described my invention,

AWhat I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The movable seat B,-when hinged at the edge or front of the fixed seat, and provided with a leg or support, S, which forms, when the seat is turned back, an arm to divide the fixed seat, substantially as described.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal. g l v CHAS. H. FOSTER. [L. s]

Witnesses J. L. BOONE, Gno. H. STRONG. 

